Chapter 96 — When the Elder Brother Dies, the Younger Marries His Widow

Lin Xiaowen lifted her head woodenly, her vacant eyes fixed on Si Nan.

At this man who fancied himself a god, her indifferent, wave-flat gaze cut clean through the proud aloofness and self-importance he held so dear.

No one had ever dared to ignore him like this. No one had ever failed to place him in their eyes.

No one at all.

His iron-hard hand clamped around her slender waist, gripping her tightly, as though he meant to force her closer still, to make her see exactly what kind of man stood before her.

In terms of wealth and status, how many in Shanghai, or even in all the business world, could compare with Si Nan?

In terms of looks and figure, how could he possibly lose to Cheng Yishu, who only knew how to sell a persona in front of the cameras?

The downpour came crashing over them like a waterfall, drenching their faces, their bodies.

Even breathing became difficult.

Lin Xiaowen panted faintly, her vision growing ever more blurred. There must have been so much rainwater in her ears; otherwise, how could she only see Si Nan’s mouth opening and closing right before her eyes, and hear not a single sound?

“Lin Xiaowen... Lin Xiaowen...”

Si Nan seemed to panic. Holding Lin Xiaowen, whose body had turned fever-hot, he kept calling her name.

It went on until she finally drifted completely into sleep, entering that utterly silent place...

When the driver came running over with an umbrella, he stopped dead several yards away.

He had never seen Si Nan face anyone or anything with such helplessness, such pain.

The curtain of rain around them seemed like a cold barrier, as if Si Nan and Lin Xiaowen, locked in his arms, had been completely cut off from the rest of the world.

No one was allowed to come close, and neither of them was allowed to leave so easily.

In a single night, the world began to fall into chaos, to collapse.

The public’s obsession with the scandals of wealthy families had never been any less intense than their curiosity about entertainment gossip.

Every entertainment and business headline seized on the Ran Dong Group, on the identity of the Si family’s newly arrived lady of the house, in an effort to grab attention.

Some had even begun serializing, on forums and websites, a modern Cinderella tale of marrying into a rich family, that old familiar love story.

Cheng Yishu’s new drama wrapped, and photos from the wrap party surfaced of his intimacy with the female lead, An An.

The old Si residence in Hong Kong called, ordering Si Nan to bring the family back to Hong Kong at once, with no room for objection.

Everything, all of it, began to change on that rainy night.

Si Nan stood in the eerily quiet study, phone in hand, saying nothing for a long time.

It was as though he were engaged in a silent contest, locked in prolonged stalemate with the person on the other end of the line.

“I’ll say it one more time. Bring them mother and daughter back immediately. At once.”

His father’s aged voice was still the same as ever, stern and commanding, leaving no room for rebuttal.

“Xiaowen isn’t well right now, so I can’t take her back to see you yet.”

Si Nan spoke slowly, his voice low and cold.

“...Xiaowen?” For a moment, the old man sounded unsure. “What did you just call her?”

“Didn’t you remember her name? Why ask me that?” Si Nan’s tone was faint, even carrying a hint of amusement.

“I mean how you address her... You actually call her by her name? Don’t you know she is your elder brother’s...” The old man’s voice was thick with anger and urgency, but Si Nan cut him off sharply before he could finish.

“Are you trying to say Xiaowen was my brother’s wife?”

His voice turned icy as he continued.

“But if I remember correctly, back then you never acknowledged Xiaowen’s status at all, did you? I wasn’t even in the country at the time, but I still remember exactly what happened.”

“What on earth are you trying to say?” the old man demanded harshly, breathing hard.

“What I’m saying...” Si Nan paused, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, then went on. “Lin Xiaowen is my woman now, and I am going to marry her.”

“You insolent bastard! Cough, cough...”

The old man broke into violent coughing. At once, a flurry of panicked voices could be heard from the other end of the line.

“Old Master... please, calm down and speak slowly. You must not lose your temper...”

“Get away from me... cough, cough...”

Not even age had softened the old man’s temper; if anything, it had grown fiercer.

“Cough, cough... You rebellious son, you know perfectly well... you know perfectly well that Lin Xiaowen was not only your elder brother’s woman, but also the one indirectly responsible for your brother’s death... And yet you still dare to entangle yourself with her. You... you still think you are a descendant of the Si family...”

“Precisely because I am a descendant of the Si family, I dare ask for my brother’s widow’s hand in marriage!”

Si Nan sat down, staring fixedly into some corner of the darkness, his voice hard as iron.

“What did you say?” In the phone, the old man’s voice was unmistakably heavy with disbelief.

“I’m saying that since Father has already made it plain and admitted that Xiaowen was my brother’s former woman, and since my brother is no longer with us, then what is wrong with my being with her now? Our Manchu ancestors always had the custom of a younger brother marrying his elder brother’s widow after the elder brother’s death. I merely want to look after Xiaowen and our Si family child for my brother...”

“Shameless sophistry! You... you...” The old man’s coughing grew violent again. Si Nan frowned faintly, then continued.

“Father should take care of his health. I have long said that neither the family affairs nor the company matters require your worry anymore. Now I’ll add one more thing: the affairs in Shanghai need even less of your concern. If you wish to see my brother’s child, then once Xiaowen is feeling better, I will bring mother and daughter back to visit you.”

“Si Nan...” The old man restrained his impatience and called his son’s name in helpless exasperation, but he could say nothing else.

Si Nan let out a cold laugh and said again, “It is late. Father should rest early and remember not to lose your temper again. I would hate to be made anxious from afar.”

Without waiting for any reply, Si Nan decisively hung up, plunging once more into the silence of the dark room.

If his elder brother Si Dong had been the only warm light in his life, then after his brother’s death, Si Nan had slowly learned to enjoy loneliness in the dark.

Si Nan had never deliberately suppressed the news of how he had interacted with Lin Xiaowen at the gala, nor of how he had introduced her to everyone.

Deep down, he even hoped the Hong Kong side would learn as much as possible, as early as possible.

This contest with the old master had been taken up by Si Nan of his own accord, because he absolutely could not lose.

Everyone said that the decisive and ruthless Si Nan resembled the old Master Si in his youth in both temperament and character.

By contrast, Si Dong, who had been cherished and respected by everyone, was the exact opposite of the old master: gentle as jade, refined and graceful.

Perhaps the elder brother was more in line with the “imperial bearing” older generations liked to speak of in private, which was why he had been so highly valued.

In any case, as the years went by, Si Nan came to feel that everything had already been settled, that everything ought to have been exactly as it was.

So he became even more unrestrained, raising storms and riding the wind in the field he loved, living in triumphant ease.

But then, one day, he was suddenly told to accept his brother’s death and shoulder the entire burden of the family.

He was thrust, bewildered and unprepared, into the elevated position of heir, with no right to resist.

And today, the tone of the old master on the phone made Si Nan once again recall that instant, years ago, when he had received a call at a racing circuit in Japan.

Cold, composed, and hard, with no room for maneuver.

“Your elder brother has had an accident... Come back at once. Right now!”